Yes, you probably heard that phrase from the Snow White story or movie. The wicked queen beheld her face in the talking mirror to see who was the fairest of all. When we think of mirrors, we often associate them with vanity, reflection, and the simple act of fixing our appearance. Here are some crazy things about mirrors.
- “The German Chemist Justus von Liebig made the first silvered-glass mirrors.
- The belief that breaking a mirror will bring you bad luck for seven years originates from Roman times. Romans believed that by breaking an old mirror, you break your soul.
- Jewish people cover all mirrors in the house for several days after the death of a close family member. This is because they believe that a mirror will trap the spirit of the dead person, and the soul will be unable to move on to the afterlife.
- Mirrors can reflect sound. Besides the ability to reflect pictures, some mirrors can reflect sound waves as well. These mirrors are known as acoustic mirrors. They were used during World War II in Britain for detecting sound waves from the enemy.”
- In 1914, a woman named Florence Lawrence invented the first mechanical rear-view mirror for automobiles. Before her invention, drivers had to rely on hand signals or look over their shoulders to see what was behind them.
We spend several times a day looking in a mirror, whether at home or in the car. My wife has a pocket mirror in her purse. Where would we be without mirrors? Thank God for the invention of mirrors. How much time do you spend in front of a mirror?
In the book of James, the writer talks about a mirror as well.
James 1:22-25 (NKJV)-22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. The Passion translation is interesting:
- James 1:22-23 (PassionNTPsa)-22Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!23If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin.
How many of us look in the mirror in the morning to get ready for the day? Most of us, right? We wash, shave, comb our hair, brush our teeth, women put on makeup, etc. We have big mirrors on closet doors to check how we look in our new suits or dresses. We just don’t look and just walk away doing nothing. Otherwise, the mirror provides no benefit. James is saying that the Word of God is a mirror that reflects to us who we are in the Spirit. It reveals to us who we are in Christ. To look in the mirror and not change anything is self-deception. To hear the Word of God and not let it change you by obeying it is self-deception. It is wrong to think that hearing the Word is enough to change your life.
Too many Christians mark their Bibles, but their Bibles never mark them! If you think you are spiritual because you hear the Word, then you are only kidding yourself.
Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – New Testament – New Testament, Volume 2.
Three mistakes the man James refers to. He only glances, He walks away, and He fails to obey. The result is an unchanged man. A superficial man, a negligent, and careless man. Then there is the man who looks into the perfect law of liberty. The Greek Word for look means to stoop sideways” para, “aside,” kyptō, “to bend forward”), denotes “to stoop to look into,” Luke 24:12, “stooping and looking in” (AV, “stooping down”); John 20:5, 11; metaphorically in Jas. 1:25, of “looking” into the perfect law of liberty; in 1 Pet. 1:12 of things which the angels desire “to look” into. Vine’s Expository Dictionary. This man has a serious intent. It is not a casual glance, once in a blue moon or whenhe gets around to it. He knows if he wants change in his life, if he wants correction, if he wants wisdom and guidance, if he wants to see what his motives, intentions are he has to look steadily and continually into the mirror of God’s Word. This protects us from self-deception. Increasing knowledge of God’s Word in hearing and obeying produces Christ-likeness in our lives. It is the perfect law of liberty. Reading the Bilble is not bondage but freedom.
Change is not change until it changes!
2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP)-18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit. I love this verse. When I look and read the Bible it is more than just ink on a page. It is the glory of the Lord. Jesus is the Word (John 1:1). With an unveiled face speaks of transparency. It is an openness to receive with meekness the Word of God. It is being teachable. (James 1:21). The mirror reflects God’s heart, his thoughts, and His will for our lives. This brings transformation to us. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Look at 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NKJV)-13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. Also in 2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)-15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Finally in Acts 17:11 (NKJV)-11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
Studying and applying God’s word is one of the most important things we can do. It holds so many benefits for us. Let us not be a man or woman and walk away from the mirror of God’s Word. We may not fully realize and grasp everything in God’s Word but we stay with it. We learn, we grow, we change. We become more like Christ. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NKJV)
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 (PassionNTPsa)12For now we see but a faint reflection of riddles and mysteries as though reflected in a mirror, but one day we will see face-to-face. My understanding is incomplete now, but one day I will understand everything, just as everything about me has been fully understood.
Thank God for the Holy Spirit who will lead and guide us into all truth. One day we will see Jesus face to face and He will explain everything. I love the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. How Jesus opened up the scriptures to them. Luke 24:32 (NKJV)-32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” God will do the same for us. Thank God for the perfect law of liberty, the Word of God. We should never get tired or bored with Gods Word. It is Spirit and it is Life to us ( John 6:63). 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)-16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
- Psalm 119:129-130 (NKJV)-129 Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them.130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
- Psalm 119:18 (NKJV)-18 Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.
Abraham Lincoln — ‘I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man.
In Christ’s Love;
Brent and Linda Bushen
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